Self-perception Of Physical Fitness Research Articles

Analysis of Self-Perceived Physical Fitness of Physical Education Students in Public Schools in Extremadura (Spain)

Adolescence is a stage of crucial physiological and psychological changes within the individual's life cycle, where fitness work is important. With self-perception being crucial in relation to adolescent health and well-being, a positive perception of fitness is directly related to increased practice or higher level of physical activity (PA). Thus, the aims were: (1) to analyze, with the Visual Analogue Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FP VAS A), the self-perceived physical fitness (PF) of high school students, (2) to investigate if there are differences according to sex and school location, and (3) to study the correlations between the items of the FP VAS A with age and body mass index (BMI). For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was designed with a total of 961 participants, 48.8% boys and 51.2% girls in secondary education, where 31.9% studied in rural schools and 68.1% in urban schools. The FP VAS A scale was used to assess self-reported PF. Regarding the results, there were statistically significant differences between sexes (p < 0.001), with boys showing higher scores than girls in all the items of the FP VAS A scale, with the exception of global flexibility. Inverse, mean and significant correlations were established between BMI and self-perceived overall PF (r = -0.202; p < 0.001), cardiorespiratory endurance (r = -0.226; p < 0.001) and movement speed (r = -0.268; p < 0.001). Between age and self-perceived cardiorespiratory endurance (r = -0.138; p < 0.001) an inverse, mean and significant correlation was also observed. In conclusion, boys showed a better self-perception of PF than girls for all physical abilities, with the exception of flexibility. School location was not shown to influence students' self-perceived PF. In addition, most of the self-perceived PF abilities for overall fitness correlated inversely with BMI.

Perception of Physical Fitness and Exercise Self-Efficacy and Its Contribution to the Relationship between Body Dissatisfaction and Physical Fitness in Female Minority Children.

Body Dissatisfaction (BD) and low physical self-concept and exercise efficacy have been linked to poor physical fitness levels and adverse health outcomes in children. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between BD, physical fitness, exercise self-efficacy, and self-Perception of Physical Fitness (PFP) in Latina and Black female children. Twenty-eight Latina and Black children enrolled in an elementary afterschool program, aged 8–12, completed surveys evaluating body dissatisfaction, exercise efficacy, PFP, and measures of physical fitness. Subjects exhibited moderate but significant inverse relationships between BD and PFP in strength (r = −0.459), agility (r = −0.382), aerobic fitness (r = −0.354), and flexibility (r = −0.461) (p < 0.05 for all). There was a significant negative correlation between exercise efficacy and BD (r = −4.2; p < 0.05). Power (r = 0.51) and flexibility (r = 0.42) were the only physical fitness measures significantly and positively related to children’s PFP (p < 0.05). A significant medium inverse relationship was also found between BD and aerobic fitness scores (r = −0.381; p < 0.05). However, after controlling for exercise efficacy or perception of physical fitness, the relationship between BD and aerobic fitness was not significant (p > 0.05). Findings suggest that positive PFP and positive performance in several physical fitness measures are associated with lower levels of BD in minority female children. Furthermore, evidence suggests exercise efficacy and PFP can mediate the relationship body image and aerobic fitness. These findings suggest that PFP, more so than measured physical fitness, was associated with lower levels of BD in minority female children. These results have important implications for programs designed to improve physical fitness and mental health in minority children.

Burnout and Self-Perceptions of Physical Fitness in a Sample of Italian Physical Education Teachers

This study examined the relations of physical education teachers' burnout with some individual variables, including teachers' self-perceived physical fitness and the perceived influence of personal fitness on teaching. Participants were 219 Italian physical education teachers in secondary school. Demographic and professional information, ratings of self-perception of physical condition, and the Italian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory were recorded. Compared to the data of a normative sample, average scores on the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalisation, and Reduced Personal Accomplishment) were found. There were statistically significant associations among Reduced Personal Accomplishment, the self-perception of physical fitness, and the perception of the influence of personal fitness on teaching. Women reported scores on Emotional Exhaustion and Reduced Personal Accomplishment indicative of greater severity than men. No significant differences appeared to be related to the years of teaching. Recommendations for further studies are discussed.

Self-Perception of Health and Fitness among French and Tunisian Men and Women

This work examines the effects of sex and culture on physical self-perceptions. The aim was to compare the perception of physical fitness of French and Tunisian men and women. 400 individuals ages 20 to 35 years assessed their own fitness, endurance, strength, flexibility, body composition, and health according to specific category scales by completing a questionnaire. In general, the Tunisian group rated themselves higher than the French group. It appears that perceived physical fitness was related mainly to perceived endurance for both groups. Some disparities were observed between the two nationalities. Analysis showed an interaction between sex and culture (French vs Tunisian). For French men and women and Tunisian men, perceived physical fitness was more associated with perceived endurance, whereas for Tunisian women, perceived physical fitness was more strongly associated with flexibility. These data show that self-perception of physical fitness is a dimension which varies between individuals from different cultures.

Comparison of perceived health to physiological measures of health in Black and White women

Background Obesity and sedentary lifestyles are prevalent among minority women. This study compared perceived and physiological measures of health in 35 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and 155 non-Hispanic White (NHW) sedentary women. Methods Self-perception of body weight, physical shape and appearance, physical fitness, and eating habits were assessed via questionnaire using 10-point scales (1 = poor, 10 = excellent), and height, weight, aerobic capacity ( V O 2 max), and 4-day food records were directly measured. Results Although body mass index (BMI, 30.3 ± 5.3 vs 27.2 ± 4.5 kg/m 2) and weight (82.7 ± 16.5 vs 73.1 ± 12.9 kg) were greater (both P = 0.0001) in NHB, groups were similar in self-perception of physical shape and appearance and weight. V O 2 max was lower in NHB compared to NHW (20.7 ± 4.5 vs 23.5 ± 4.6 ml · kg −1 · min −1, P = 0.002), despite no difference between groups in self-perception of physical fitness. Finally, there was no difference between groups for self-perception of eating habits and percentage of calories derived from fat (%fat). The results were unchanged after adjusting for age, education, and income, except that %fat was greater in NHB compared to NHW (35.7 ± 6.3 vs 33.8 ± 6.9%, P = 0.03). Conclusions Although NHB were heavier, more obese, less fit, and consumed a greater %fat than NHW, they perceived their weight, physical shape and appearance, physical fitness, and eating habits to be no worse than those of their White counterparts. The perceptions of NHB regarding their weight, fitness, and eating habits may represent barriers to change.

Nature and causes of injuries in women resulting from an endurance training program.

Women entering the Army are exposed to considerable physical stress due to the intense physical training program encoun tered. At the beginning of a basic training cycle, a prospective study was initiated to identify exercise-related injuries and performance-limiting conditions that resulted from an 8-week physical training program and to identify some of the factors that may contribute to their occurrence. Four hundred women recruits (age 18 to 29 years) participated in the study. All had passed an initial physical examination and were without any limiting disabilities. An initial assessment of physical fitness was accomplished to determine the current status of body composition, strength of the major muscle groups (e.g., legs, trunk, arms, and upper torso), aerobic capacity, previous ath letic history, self-perception of physical fitness, and psychoso matic predisposition. The training and conditioning program (1 hr daily, five to six times a week) involved a series of standard warm-up calisthenics and stretching exercises fol lowed by a run, beginning at 3/4 mile at a 10 min per mile pace and increasing to 2 miles at 9½ min per mile by the end of training. Extensive road marches and military training activities were also included. At the end of training, a self-report injury questionnaire was used to collect injury data. These data were documented with the records from the unit dispensary and data provided by the installation physical therapy, orthopaedic, and podiatry clinics. Fifty-four percent (215) of the women sustained some reportable injury. These injuries resulted in an average training time loss of 13 days. Forty-one percent of these injuries prevented participation in all activity, 31% resulted in only limited participation. Early training "overuse syndrome" ac counted for 42% (92) of the reported injuries. Significant injuries were: tibial stress fracture (45), chondromalacia of the patella (21), hip or neck of femur stress fracture (20), sprains (12), Achilles tendinitis (10), calcaneous or metatarsal stress fracture (8), and fascial and anterior compartment strains (6). The injury data were correlated with prior-fitness measures. The results indicated that a major cause of injury in women can be attributed to the lack of prior conditioning, greater body weight and fat percent, and limited leg strength. These factors, coupled with some inherent physiologic characteristics of women (i.e., wide pelvis, less strength, and greater joint flexi bility), probably contributed to the increased risk of injury in these women. It is concluded that susceptibility to these poten tial orthopaedic and medical conditions can be identified before the beginning of training and minimized through proper reme dial activity before a strenuous physical training program is initiated.

Cardiovascular function as influenced by type of prior sport participation

Comparisons were made among three groups of former athletes (FA) in habitual lifestyle, self-perception of fitness, intensity of prior sport participation, maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max), blood pressure (SBp and DBp), heart rate (HR), and systolic time intervals (STIs). Three hundred and fifty FA, aged 27–74, were divided into three categories according to the sport type in which they had participated, i.e., team sports, individual sports, or team and individual sports. FA who participated in both individual and team sports were engaged in significantly greater occupational activity and intensity of prior sport participation compared with FA who had participated in individual or team sports. There were no significant differences in leisure time physical activity, self-perception of physical fitness, or smoking habits according to sport type. Furthermore, there were no significant differences among sport type categories in VO 2max, HR, or STIs at rest or postexercise, and SBp or DBp at rest. The evidence suggests that the type of sport participation, at least as categorized for this study, has little effect upon lifestyle and cardiovascular function in later life.